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American Morning
America Strikes Back: Terrorism Likely to Dominate Agenda of Bush at Shanghai Economic Meeting
Aired October 16, 2001 - 11:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush will leave tomorrow for an economic meeting in Shanghai, but terrorism is likely to dominate the agenda there.
CNN's Major Garrett will be traveling with the president -- live from the White House for us now.
Major, hello to you.
Hello to you, Bill.
MAJOR GARRETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The White House is not immune from the anthrax anxiety that is not only gripping Capitol Hill, but is beginning to grip much of the nation. White House press secretary Ari Fleischer confirmed this morning that even before the September 11 attacks, there was a very definite way that all mail was handled in coming to the White House. That is to say it is checked in an off- site location before it even gets into the White House compound itself. He said since September 11, other precautionary measures have been taken. He would not discuss them.
The press secretary also tried to deal with persistent questions about the source of the anthrax. He said the government still doesn't know yet, and it is working overtime to try to find out and the White House, through all of its federal agencies, is trying to find the proper balance between getting information to the public as quickly as possible and also making sure that information once given is entirely accurate. Let me read to you a quote that Ari Fleischer gave to reporters this morning: "There is a balance between sharing everything with the public as quickly as possible without giving information that is unknown or complete. When federal officials speak," Ari Fleischer said, "they should speck accurately."
The president's day today. He goes over to the Red Cross headquarters to talk about his campaign to encourage every child in America to send to the White House $1 -- that to assist Afghan children in obtaining food, medicine, and clothing in the harsh winter months ahead in Afghanistan, even as the U.S. military campaign continues -- Bill.
HEMMER: Major, back it that trip overseas -- the last time the president was out of the country was before September 11, and it was also back in Genoa, Italy that we know of that certain threats were received by officials from overseas. How much is that being talked about in relation to that visit in Italy, and how much going forward in Shanghai is this being discussed as well?
GARRETT: Well, it's always a part of a discussion of a presidential trip, domestic or international. Threats to the president that, is. An international trip even draws more of that kind of conversation, particularly in the context all of us find ourselves in right now. But the White House believes it is very important for the president to make this trip as a symbol of his ability and willingness to get back to the fundamentals of life, get back, in his case, to the fundamentals of being president. That's the symbolic importance of the trip.
But are also two substantive parts of the trip that are very important. One, strengthening the coalition against international terrorism. The president will meet in private bilateral meetings with the president of China, the president of Russia, and the prime minister of Japan and many, many other. Each and every one of those meetings, senior administration officials tell us, will be serious, heavy-lifting substantive meetings all or at least primarily about strengthening the international coalition about terrorism.
But there is also a trade element to this. This is, after all, an economic summit. What president wants to say in his remarks in Shanghai is that much of the world's economic system -- the free market economic system -- came under attack when the World Trade Towers were demolished. That message, a message of attacking free trade and global economic prosperity, is an important one to support, the president will tell those gathered in Shanghai. He wants the United States to be at the forefront of efforts to preserve and expand free market global trade -- Bill.
HEMMER: Major, again, how long will they be gone?
GARRETT: The president will be gone roughly four days. There's a lot of travel -- Shanghai's a good long way away. But 2 1/2, three days of very intensive meetings there in Shanghai.
Major, thanks -- Major Garrett, you travel safe too while you're gone.
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